2015 Windsor High School Hall of Fame inductees share memories, laughs and tears

Windsor High School Hall of Fame 2015 inductees, from left, Dave Nicholl, Jo Finnegan, Mallory Duran (Sellers) and Nate Kvamme celebrate together following the Hall of Fame dinner Wednesday night.

Throughout the ballroom people laughed, cried and remembered times gone by as the Windsor community welcomed the four newest Windsor High School Hall of Fame inductees Wednesday night.

The fourth class of Windsor High School Hall of Fame inductees included Mallory Duran (Sellers), Nate Kvamme, Dave Nicholl and Jo Finnegan.

People filled every chair around the tables in the Pelican Lakes Country Club ballroom housing the event, and all night, they caught up and shared stories of the honorees among them.

Duran, a three-sport athlete, All-State Softball player, is one of the few athletes to have their jersey retired at Windsor High School. She is a two-time 4A and All Colorado Player of the year. She went on to play at Southern Illinois University. A 2008 graduate, she is often described as one of the most notable female athletes from Windsor High School.

Nicholl coached wrestling in the Windsor community for more than 25 years and worked as the Student Assistance Coordinator at Windsor High School.

Kvamme, a 1994 graduate, multi-sport athlete and Academic All-State athlete, played football at Colorado State University.

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Finnegan, who received the "Legacy Award," served the community as a teacher and coach and continually offers her support to Windsor athletics.

Previous Hall of Fame inductee and former Windsor Beacon reporter Kurt Hinkle and Kvamme acted as emcees for the special night, sharing stories and, often quite long, lists of achievements for new Hall of Fame members.

Duran's induction started the evening's ceremony in full.

"This town means a great deal to me," she said. Windsor athletics has made a name for itself, and it makes her proud to say she is from Windsor.

She thanked many people for her success and achievements, from family to coaches and more and finished with "go Windsor Wizards," which drew the whole crowd into raucous applause.

"All I can say is 'Wow,' " Nicholl said when he stepped up to the podium after receiving his Windsor High School Hall of Fame Medal. "Everyone in this room deserves to be inducted," he said. "Every single one of you is special and precious people, most of you I know."

He thanked the people in his life, his students, his athletes and their parents, his family and friends who supported him and shared stories from his time as a coach and teacher. Near the end of his speech, he even pulled out old physical education class records from when Duran and Kvamme were taught, comparing their physical achievements.

"In Windsor, the great athletes are also the great people," Kvamme said. He talked about his time across different sports, the help he received from the people in his life and said he did not think anyone could stand there that evening without the help, love and support of friends and family.

He shared stories from his days of playing football at CSU and the pride he carries with him from Windsor.

Finally the ceremony came to Finnegan's turn to be inducted, and she spoke about her work to promote equal athletic opportunities for female athletes.

She loved athletics in Windsor, she said, and she endeavored to support every sport they had.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected. In its original version, it stated Duran played at Illinois State. She played at and graduated from Southern Illinois University.